Heavy command line user, eh?
A desktop hygiene tip I read years ago (but can't remember where) is to increase the size of your desktop icons almost to the point of being ridiculously large, like 96x96. This way your desktop will "fill up" faster, forcing you to clear it more regularly.
I always know where my recently downloaded files are, and I have visual feedback of when I should delete them.
I also use it as a temporary launchpad for sorting uploads.